Radio Interview by Michael David on Empire Radio Now.

Recording:

What do you do?

We are a group of architects and urban planners who design cities and buildings but our focus is sustainable design.

Why is sustainable design important to us?

We believe building sustainable cities is the best way to combat climate change

Why do you pick architecture as your profession?

I think architects have the skill and power to make a better world.

What is the meaning behind the name Avoid Obvious?

We are a group of young architects. When we first started, no one believe in architects. At the same time, we admire many people in the technology sector who became very successful very early in their careers. We believe young architects can make similar impact on a global scale. Why not us? We decided to use this name Avoid Obvious to tell people that we are different than other seasoned architects. We dare to be different and we want to make a difference.

How do you start your project?

We begin each project by understanding the client’s need and their business behavior. We must understand their habit and cycle to come up with a solution that are sustainable, good looking and economical to them. For instance, we designed many pop-ups that are movable for the Artist who does many short term retail. We made the design on wheels so that it can be re-used multiple times. The idea of mobility was the best sustainable practice tailored for their specific needs. Nothing is wasted although their use of retail space changes every month.